Write A Believable Inuyasha OC
by Abori Chan
Summary: Do you want to learn how to create a Believable Inuyasha OC? Then, you have come to the right spot. In this guide I shall attempt to teach you how to breathe life into OC characters and blend them into the IY universe.
1. OC in the Canon Universe: Future Era OC

Hey guys!

Today I am going to share a few of my tips with you on how to write a believable Inuyasha OC. I have noted that there is no handy guide on how to write and integrate characters into this fandom, which is why Mary Sue's have taken over, and send the readers scurrying to find 'canon' fics.

I am not against canon pairings, just of the opinion that OC's allow you to build a whole new character and it is far more challenging to write and blend an OC into the established fandom than to keep canon characters in line when they interact with their own kind.

Anyway, that is my personal preference so let us not get into that.

Inuyasha as a fandom has a lot of scope, since it is very vast and has endless possibilities. You can make up your own species of demons, half demons, heroes, villains, side characters. This guide will be two part i.e I shall detail on how to make an **OC for the Canon Universe** as well as on how to make an **OC for the Alternate Universe**.

So let's get started!

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**OC in the Canon Universe**

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The commonest OC, she will be a person either from the future or from the Feudal Era.

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**Future OC: **

The future OC has become a sort of a cliché since most of the OC's fall down the well and end up in the Feudal Era with super awesome magical powers which will make the readers cringe and faint. These future OC's are usually a mirror image of Kagome Higurashi, with most of her characteristics and temperament, which makes the OC a shadow puppet. More often than not, they will make the OC somehow 'superior' to Kagome _**[if their target is Inuyasha]**_, Sango _**[if their target is Miroku]**_, Kagura _**[if their target is Sesshoumaru]**_, Ayame _**[if their target is Kouga]**_. This is not just disrespecting the characters themselves but also their author. Okay, P-chan is Miroku's one true love but that does not mean that she has to be more badass than Sango _**[seeing as she is not even trained enough to do so]**_, she just has to be more understanding toward his lecherous ways.

Always try to be realistic while playing the 'Future OC' game because you cannot make your OC to face situations that she has never handled before, in a calm and practical way. Facing 10-foot demons in a strange era with weird people is no joke. I would run screaming and plunge back into my era and never set foot there again. Forget about demons, what are you going to do if you are mugged in a dark alley?

Like I said be realistic.

**Here are some things to keep in mind while creating a future OC: **

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**Ethnicity**

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It is best to make her a native. That means she should have black hair and brown eyes or brown hair and brown eyes unless she dyed her hair and wore contacts. Even this is near to impossible because Japanese schools do not allow dyed hair and contacts. Therefore, unless your character was cosplaying she cannot really show up in such attire. It is perfectly fine if a character is half-Japanese, but this too depends on which parent is Japanese. There is something as dominant and recessive genes. More often than not, the child will take after their fathers looks.

In my family alone, from five of us cousins only one has taken her mother's looks. The rest of us look like our fathers. So if you want your character to have auburn hair and green eyes make her father a foreigner. Or better still you can make her a transfer student.

While describing your character from another/main interest's point of view absolutely do not:

"_Character watched as P-chan ran her hand through her long, knee-length, silky, raven hair. She rested her emerald eyes on him and sent him a subtle yet dazzling smile, the one that lighted up her beautiful features. She gracefully turned and walked up toward him, angling her curvaceous body and called, 'Hi, Character-kun' _

_Character stirred in his seat haunted by her clear, angelic voice that sounded like little bells tinkling in the wind. He looked down at her his expression softening rapidly." _

Instead:

"**Character stared hard at the girl who was frolicking about feeding the rabbits. How had she ended up here? He watched her carefully, hoping to pick up any irregular auras around her that may give away her identity. She suddenly jerked her head upward catching him staring at her. He groaned inwardly as he noticed a dark shadow pass over her green eyes. She pushed her waist length auburn hair over her shoulder to bring it over her chest and walked stiffly toward him. **

"**Hi." He heard P-chan murmur timidly. **

**Character stirred in his seat, looking down at her, trying to soften his expression. **

**Was the girl that scared of him? **

So which one of the two seems more believable? Obviously, the second one. The second paragraph tells us quite a few things about the character without seeming pretentious or conceited. Anyone can concur that P-chan likes rabbits and is a bit afraid of Character and this is seemingly natural as P-chan has fallen into a universe that is way too different from her own time. She will regard everyone, especially the oddballs, with caution. These characters, too in their turn will be wary of her.

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**School Life**

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Before you start writing about a character in school, make sure to do a lot of research on Japanese school life, uniforms, activities etc.

While developing your characters school life if you say "She goes to Kagome's school" I shall bang your head on the keyboard. Unless you are Yuka, Ayumi or Eri, you should not actually know who Kagome is. Even classmates tend to forget a person if she does not show up for long. The whole school isn't going to be aware that a girl named Kagome is missing. Real life does not work that way.

Yes, your character can go to Kagome's school but she should not be automatically aware that Kagome is a part of that school. For that let her be a friend of the trio above and maybe she wonders and actually strongly disbelieves in Kagome's excuses of absence. Maybe she is a little brighter than the trio and decides to investigate…now that would be a realistic plot!

Alternatively, you can have a character descend through a portal that you made up. The Feudal Era in Inuyasha is based on history. All you need to do is to research a bit in that line and come up with a fantastic plot.

If you want to make a tough/agile character remember to depict the person taking part in extracurricular activities. In Japanese schools, kendo, judo, volleyball, baseball, softball, archery are usually the classes that take place after school and you can have your character excel in them, however beware that if P-chan goes to Feudal Era she would only be able to escape from a band of bandits at the very best due to her skills.

The past and the future are two very different situations.

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**Emotions**

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Make her reactions believable. What would you do if you fell into a universe with constant wars and demons out to bay for your blood? You would be scared for a while, shocked and in disbelief. Maybe you would also cry and scream or become hysterical. Some of you may pinch yourself to know whether you are dreaming. Some might just pass out from sheer fright. She may either suffer from a panic attack or become ultra frustrated and she will distrust any 'abnormal' looking people.

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**Clothing**

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Give her practical clothing. The feudal era is not a picnic spot that your character can bounce around in sundresses or shorts. A t-shirt and a pair of jeans with good hunting boots would be ideal since you will have to take the forests and the climate into account. The school uniform is fine if the character was transported the first time but not all the time. And please, skimpy, revealing dresses are fine for Yura since she died in the third episode but your character will only be a trouble magnet if she goes around showing too much skin.

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**Canon Replacement**

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For god's sake, DO NOT CHANGE/REPLACE THE CANON CHARACTERS. If the capslock did not drill it in your mind I repeat, do not replace/change the canon characters. That is what AU's are for. If you dislike the female counterpart of your character, do not kill her off in the canon because the canon will cease being canon without an important character.

It is okay to have love triangles/squares but the female counterparts have to be there. Without Kagome, the Shikon no Tama wouldn't have broken and Inuyasha may still be stuck to that tree. Without Sango, Miroku wouldn't be the way he is today. And to be frank, I DO NOT want to hear the SAME old Inuyasha story from an OC's point of view who may just be a shadow of the female leads. It makes my eyes bleed.

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**Weapons**

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Weapons are something every writer has struggled with. Most of them end up giving their character a katana or a bow and arrow because their characters are either half-demons or priestesses! This is too cliché and is almost as old as the invention of the wheel. Please try to be creative and imaginative. You are creating a character, not a shadow puppet and if you want to do that, you would be better off joining the Naraku clique.

Can you actually picture how much strength it will take to wield a katana?

The weight range of Katana was anything between 900 grams-1400 grams. Historical katanas were heavier so you can take a rough guess of about 1200 grams. Can you imagine carrying that thing around, drawing it swiftly and hitting your opponent before he kills you? A person from the future cannot do that in a matter of weeks. Mastering sword fighting takes years.

So think twice, would you really want your character wield a katana without going completely Mary Sue? I doubt it. So ditch the katana, go and find some other weapons. To name a few, tessen, naginata, hachiwara, yoroidoshi are light enough to be wielded effortlessly and it is not going to take ages to master them.

If those names/weapons are too tough for you to wrest with and you need straight action, try the good old firecracker bombs/dynamite, brought from the future. It may not be much of an attack but your character may at least not have to stick around and learn things. If everything else fails, matchlocks, hand canons that were very popular in the Sengoku Era are your next best friends.

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**Super Powers**

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Powers, ah, that is one tricky bit. Powers are the very thing that brought P-chan into the Inuyasha world. However, P-chan doesn't always have to be a priestess or a half-demon. She can be a reincarnation of a healer or even a samurai!

Elemental powers like ability to control and project wind, water, fire, earth, light, darkness is also cool but you will have to establish a strong reason for your character to have these powers. Is she connected to the clan that has these powers? Is she connected to the "Gods" that had these powers? There are endless possibilities for a character to still stay human while gain special powers. However, beware; giving her too many powers is the first sign of a Mary Sue! Let her have just one specific power with its flaws and strengths.

For example, if P-chan is able to erect very strong barriers around herself and others, which do not allow Naraku's miasma to enter let this ability be consistent. Her defensive powers should not automatically become offensive, as per the need. Her flaw can be that since a lot of spiritual energy has been used to erect these barriers, she might faint and need a long time/spiritual training to replenish herself. Make sure that your characters flaws and strengths are fixed, if you suddenly add a new flaw/strength, readers will be confused.

And it will be best if you keep your character human with special powers when she is from the future. Hanyous and Youkai's are for OC's living in the Sengoku Jidai.

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**Training **

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I have noticed a lot fanfics have OC's who choose to train with Inuyasha. This for me is frightening even though Inuyasha is my most favourite character. Now, would you authors want P-chan to train with a brash and cocky instructor who swings around a sword twice his height and keeps belittling her abilities? I wouldn't. In fact, I would not let my OC train with Inuyasha even when she has super-special-awesome powers.

Why?

Because he does not have the skill.

All he has is brute strength and ability to connect with the Tessaiga. Sure, slashing demon meat is nifty enough when you have a big sword but for a human to survive here she would have to learn from a much advanced instructor who has studied and practiced the art for years! Inuyasha is as helpless as a child when he turns human because he does not know how to defend himself properly. He has never learned the true skill. He only fights by his instincts.

Sango, who is a professional demon slayer, would be the right pick for a trainer, or Miroku, if your OC is a male but not Inuyasha.

Anyway, on with the guide, P-chan will need to train for an awfully long time if she is to become battle ready. One wrong slash of the sword and she will end up badly cut and may possibly bleed to death if an artery has been slit. Apart from the physical exercise, she will also have to be mentally strong. Taking a life isn't a very happy prospect. She will have to prepare herself for becoming highly alert, develop her intuition enough to sense auras and prepare to witness the carnage of war. People dying, bloody battlefields, unsightly dead bodies, she should be able to digest all that.

I do not mean that devote pages and pages to her training. But do make a mention of it at least once in every chapter. Also show the development in their fighting skills. Have the instructor remark once in a while about how character is getting better. Or have P-chan notice the change in herself.

And I wonder what is up with the no scar, ideology. If you are fighting all the time, you will have scars, calluses which aren't going to look pretty. If P-chan wields a sword, her palms will harden overtime due to the battles and training. Her body structure will become muscular.

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**Family**

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Ah, yes a huge factor in OC making. Families are practically nonexistent in Inuyasha universe but that does not mean you have to follow the leader. Give P-chan a complete family. Both parents alive and well with a sibling or two thrown in. Moreover, give her a reliable family, someone that she can fall back upon. Negligent parents, parents who don't care that their daughter disappeared for 5 days and reappeared mysteriously feeling lost and scared **_[that should be your OC's natural reaction, she has been through a dangerous, fantasy world she isn't going to come home all cheery]_** will not do. Real parents are hardly that way, no matter how strict they may be.

I remember at the start of my highschool year when I was once stuck in a heavy rain with a railway strike to add to the problem, the buses were over flowing with people hanging onto each other and I had to risk taking a cab with two of my classmates whom I barely knew. My parents called me up at least thrice until I reached home safely.

Imagine the concern of a parent whose son/daughter goes missing.

Often, fanfiction writers only go on and on about the dangers that OC faces in the Feudal Era. Is it so hard to add a paragraph or two highlighting the parent's concerns? For the first time that their kid goes missing they will be breaking down and making frantic calls to the OC's friends, school and eventually the police. Later on, they may or may not permit their son/daughter to go on the adventure, depending upon the parent's trust on their ward but they will still worry when the OC is not at home.

If P-chan has a family, do not make it a cardboard family.

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**Relationships**

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Everyone wants their beloved P-chan to get going with Inu-kun/Fluffy-sama/Houshi-sama/Kouga-kun…

Except that, it is not so easy. Feudal Era people are not so friendly, they will approach your character with caution and because of the turbulent times, they will always be on high alert. Kagome will the most trusting and welcome P-chan with open arms since she is from her era and will explain everything but the others may not be so trusting, especially Inuyasha and Sango. Miroku may try to flirt with your OC and he may even be friendly but no character worth his salt will fall head over heels into love with a person they barely know anything about.

If you want to develop a relationship, take it slow. A day and night will not make a character express his past. It will come in bits and pieces and for that, you need patience. Patience to write as well as to experience that moment. The silent characters like Sesshoumaru may not talk at all and so how will P-chan know anything about him? Think a little, maybe she can bribe Rin to do talking…

It is not always protecting each other in battle that builds a relationship. If anything, a canon character may just do it so that he doesn't get an innocent killed. Tagging behind a character like a parasite will easily cross P-chan off your bishie's books. Instead, let P-chan do little things for him, things that show kindness, he may not notice it right away but eventually he will. Like, P-chan never brings anything much from the future, but she always brings a secret stash of Ramen for Inuyasha. Or a pack of cards for Miroku.

Maybe she lends a sympathetic ear to their complaints or consoles them when they say that [counterpart] does not understand them.

Whatever the case, relationships need time. It may take at least 16 chapters until P-chan and Bishie have built a good rapport and writing believable romances takes a strong dedication. However, don't forget the rivals on either side. Rivals are very good at catching the vibes that P-chan is sending her boy and P-chan will realize that [rival] looks more and more sullen, cold and unfriendly than she was before. This is where you add conflict onto the plot and mishmash it with emotions.

Ultimately, P-chan will have to choose whether to distance herself or cling to the Bishie.

Or sometimes the Bishie himself makes the decision of leaving P-chan and going to [rival] because he feels guilty. This is a better option than the above one, since a love martyr is the first sign of a Mary Sue.

In any case, keep the relationship as realistic as possible. We do not need a person telling us all the time that they love us or they would die for us. We only need the person to prove it; otherwise it will end up sounding insincere.

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**Ending**

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Yes, all stories have an ending, so yours must have it too. Now everything depends on whether the OC stays in the past or the future. Remember that either of your character's choices will impact both the timelines greatly.

If she chooses to go in the future, she shouldn't be surprised if her weapon ends up in a display case of a museum with her own _history being sung_. Moreover, she will have to re-adjust to her normal life, with its now mundane prospects and she may have to let go of her love interest and her powers.

If she chooses to stay in the past, she may well be with her love interest and retain her powers but she may have to get used to more wars and hardships of the Sengoku era with tussles between the power-crazy daimyo, deaths and defeat.

Your choice.

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Anyway, I hope this clears up any doubts about how to make an OC from the future. In the next part **I'll detail on how to make OC's living in the Sengoku Era**. If anyone has any questions or queries or any OC building parts that you want me to cover **please do review!** :D


	2. OC in the Canon Universe: Feudal Era OC

**OC in the Sengoku Era(Feudal Era): **

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Hi and welcome back to my OC making guide! :D

I know I have not updated for days and I hope this chapter will make up for it.

So without further fuss, let us get down to the point. We last discussed on how to make Future OC's and today I will be explaining on how to create OC's living in the Sengoku Era.

You can use a lot of creative license while making such OC's because after all the Inuyasha Fandom has its fair share of **hanyou, youkai **and **mikos**. However, please do remember to use these factors in limit. Stretching anything is not going to make your OC an awesome character. It will only make her more and more irritating because your readers will easily spot discrepancies and rat you out for it.

I remember having read a fanfiction where the OC was an exotic demon and learned all the skills for channeling her powers superfast. The OC had a mixture of all elemental powers and in short was a raging Mary Sue. I backtracked out of the fiction after reading 3 chapters because the entire structure of the OC sucked and was unbelievable. She stood out very oddly from the entire canon and in no way was even remotely related to it.

Therefore, here is your first lesson for the day.

**DO YOUR RESEARCH. **

I do not care if you know the fandom inside out. You still have to look up information if you are making an OC so that you do not stand out like a sore thumb in fandom. Your OC can be either Human/Demon/Half-demon.

Even so, there can be sub categories.

For example, your OC can be a normal human with no powers yet good fighting skills. Sometimes the OC can be a youkai/hanyou without special powers but inherits some from a magical weapon/artifact. In the end, it only depends on you as an author to mix, match, and create something new.

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**Species/Race: **

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It is extremely helpful to determine the species of your OC. Species that will fit well in the canon universe. This is true for youkai/hanyou OC's. If your OC is human, race and species really don't matter.

Most OC's that I have seen are either inuyokai(dog demons) like Sesshoumaru or ookami(wolf demons) like Kouga but there are more. It is okay to make your OC mainstream but a lesser-known species will give you more room for development and back-stories thus making your OC unique. To know about different species in the IY fandom visit Inuyasha Wikia under the category Species, you will get a good list, which will help you to brainstorm.

As far as possible please try to avoid making a hybrid of two species **(hanyou is fine)** as it is certainly OOC and no such character has ever been found in the canon.

Most of the main demon/half-demon characters in Inuyasha are humanoid but it would be amusing to have an OC that has some non human body parts like wolfish/fox-like feet if she is a wolf/fox youkai . Avoid making your character one-of-a-kind in _their own_ species.

For example, if your character is an air dragon **[yes dragons like Ryukotsusei and Ryujin do exist in the canon] **with knee length pastel blue hair and silver eyes, let this remain consistent between other people of her species.

If you notice in Inuyasha, all the inuyoukais have similar physical features. Kouga's tribe too has its consistency with most tribe members having blue eyes and most of them wear brown fur pelts **[exclude Ayame since she is an anime only character].**

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**Status and Society: **

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Most of the time I have noticed that if characters are youkai (demons) they usually hail from some royal family and if they are hanyou (half-demons) they are lurking in the corners of some discriminating village.

This should not always be the case.

Youkai, especially had their own clans and tribes with their own share of guards, peasants, mikos **[more about this when I detail on mikos]** and samurais and hence it is wrong to depict youkai as the ever-elite class. They too had their societies **[see Shiori's case in episode 73]** and sometimes these youkai clans _protected _humans but that is debatable. Therefore, it will be more refreshing if your OC does not have a connection to some fancy youkai lord and is more or less a commoner.

Hanyous on the other hand are a taboo to the society since they are a mix of species that hate each other. A point to note in the canon is that hanyous do not have 'demonic' markings since they have human blood flowing through them. Depending on the treatment that your OC got as a hanyou she will either be aggressive yet reserved like Inuyasha or timid and submissive like Jinenji. As far as hanyous go, psychological torture and bullying leave only these two character traits open with a sense of insecurity and the fear of never belonging anywhere.

If your OC is a youkai royal she might be proud and discriminating, if she is a youkai commoner she might hate authority figures and scorn all royalty. If she is a hanyou royal, she might be aggressive and if she is a hanyou commoner, she might be submissive.

Human societies are too not very buddy-buddy with their fellow relations. Feudal Japan did have its share of social hierarchy and discriminated communities. Upper caste daimyos and samurai often looked down upon commoners like peasants and artisans. Communities like butchers, tanners, executioners were considered tainted by their occupation and such communities often lived on the outskirts of the village. Thieves and criminals also had no social status.

I will detail on class hierarchy later on in this chapter.

Basing your OC on classes/statuses that existed in history is the best choice for this will give your fanfiction a touch of realism. Class hierarchy is useful in building even demon societies.

Over all the nature of the society, that your OC lives in will give her a status and particual character traits so please invent that well!

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**Clothing/Appearance: **

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To get the feel of your OC being a character from Feudal Japan, it is necessary to get your characters costume and appearance straight. For beginner fans of Inuyasha, yes I know it is a temptation to have your OC to dress up/look _**exactly **_as her love interest **[Inu and Sesshy especially]** but nothing sends your reader scurrying out of the world you created than an OC who is just an imitation of lead characters. Reincarnations are fine but don't tell me that OC looks exactly like "Character-kun" because she is his long lost sister/twin/belongs to the same species.

Firstly, even IDENTICAL TWINS don't look like exact copies of each other! There is often a little something that distinguishes them from each other, may it be a birthmark or their hairstyles or physique.

So cut some slack and workto distinguish your character's appearance.

Depending on the species of your non-human OC's you can make them appear anyhow you wish, just don't make them completely identical to the canon males.

Take InuTaisho and Sesshoumaru's mother Inukimi for example, they both are inuyoukai, they do share similarities in hair and eye colors but are they exactly the same?

No.

Even the full demon forms of the entire pureblood family don't look exactly alike. Like I said while detailing "Species" in this chapter, there should be **consistencies **in the appearance of an entire species/tribe but no two individuals should look exactly alike.

Moving on, the clothing should fit the characters status.

A peasant or a commoner would wear loose and comfortable clothing, made of cheaper materials that is suitable for traveling or working in the sun. The commonly seen clothes were kosode **[short sleeved shirt] **and hakama **[long baggy pants]** for men and kosode/yukata with a mo-bakama for women **[Sango's traveling outfit]**. This is the standard outfit for any village person unless your characters job as a ninja or spy expects her to wear different clothing.

Samurai men either wore a hitatare or a shitagi paired with hakama and battle armour. It is unknown what the warrior women wore. My best bet is an uwagi **[loose court-women's shirt] **paired with a hakama.

Everyday court attire of samurai or noble women could be the kouchiki or uchigi as a full junihitoe was worn during the Heian period. In short, they wore what Inuyasha's mother; Izayoi is seen to be wearing in most of the episodes.

Clothing for daimyo or shogun just gets quite obnoxious since it is a very **FORMAL** wear with styles that all look the same but are actually different and quite a pain to describe.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha wear something that is known as a suikan-sagata along with a sashinuki style hakama. Such outfit was worn by court nobles and princes. Hakudoshi also wears the same outfit, however, he wears it like a court noble style while Inu and Sessh wear it the warrior style. Confusing isn't it?

Jaken could be wearing a kariginu paired with a naga-bakama **[extra long hakama, which makes sense as he is tripping all the time!] **

Therefore, these are the types of clothing that you could give your characters.

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**Powers: **

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I'm not going to detail much here since I already exhausted myself in the "Future OC" part so read that first to get a hang of using powers. It will be good if the OC has powers related to his clan or demonic side. If your OC is a demon/hanyou but is a miko, there better be a valid reason as to how and why she inherited these powers, if there are any.

For a human OC with spiritual powers, you can make up pretty much anything.

If they have some magical artifact that channels their powers, it would be good if there is a limitation to how much power the artifact can grant **[this doesn't include the Shikon shards]**. Does OC have to undergo special restrictions so that her powers aren't tainted or that they do not fail? Do these powers have a side effect? Like maybe extra appendages or a scaly skin that keeps growing if the youkai/hanyou OC keeps exploiting her powers? Or maybe for the human OC, does exerting her powers work like a slow poison, and is killing her? Do these powers disappear during a specific time? Such questions can help a lot in building your character profile.

Before I forget, super senses (like scent detection in inuyoukai) also count as powers in non-human OC's. Be careful on the number of super senses you loan your character. Too many of them will make the character dull and flat. Notice that almost all inuyoukai have a keen sense of smell/hearing and heightened physical abilities, like flying leaps and super speed. You can use those abilities in building your character too perhaps modify them to fit the OC.

Always remember to give some weaknesses to your character's powers and that she shouldn't suddenly inherit a new power **[without a proper explanation] **and of course, "deus ex machina" powers are a definite plot killer so don't use that!

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**Training: **

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Since hanyous and youkais might have inherent powers, they don't require that much training in weapons at least. Still it depends a lot, on which category your OC is in. If she is commoner, she won't be having much of weaponry skills, just someone who fights on instinct and whose powers constantly go out of control.

A samurai or a miko will be well prepared for battle since they have practiced wielding weapons as well and are better equipped to handle their powers in any situation. It depends on you as the author to decide how much you are going to focus on the OC's training. If your OC is already an accomplished wielder of weapons you won't need to detail much, on the other hand if she is a beginner/is forced to fight for survival you may have to input her development every alternate chapter. Remember that training doesn't just mean fighting with weapons, it also is practice where the character learns to control her powers. Human OC's will obviously require more time and effort to polish their skill sets, unless they are already accomplished. It is totally okay to have your OC fail in battles at times **[not just when she is weak/her powers are weak] **

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**Weapons: **

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To get a nice list of weapons do check the first chapter of this guide. If your OC is a commoner **[peasant/merchant class person] **she might use agricultural equipment to defend herself, initially, until she can find a proper weapon.

For plot intrigue, it is good to invent magical weapons **[swords being the most common] **that could help develop/use the characters powers to activate its own energy.

It is usual for royal youkai/half-demons to have inherited weapons from their ancestors or use the sacred weapons of ancient origin. I have yet to see a weapon that initially rejects its master only to accept it later on and it would certainly be interesting to see that happen. Just do not make the entire concept redundant by introducing something impossible, like a human OC wielding a demon sword and having absolutely no side effects. Same goes for demons trying to wield spiritually pure weapons that should purify them. Even if you do want to introduce such concepts make a rational explanation on how and why it happened.

Weapons that are too large or heavy for the character's height/build should be avoided. Your OC is fighting in a battlefield; she is not working in a circus.

It is all right if Sango/Bankotsu have super special giant weapons that neatly chop demon meat but it will be quite awkward for your trainee OC to have a giant machete twice her size in the heat of battle which she hasn't even learnt to wield properly, even if she is a youkai/hanyou.

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**Family: **

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A family in feudal era is mostly a broken family since the era was plagued with power mongering demons and daimyos. So it is fine if a few/all family members are absent.

However, the causes that why or how the OC's family died or disappeared should be made interesting. "Naraku's demons attacked the village for jewel shards" is a fairly cliché excuse. If I could only count the number of times this trope has been used, I would count until infinity!

Is it not possible that the OC's family member went missing on a search/was called to war and never returned while the other soldiers who did go to war did return. So OC sets out to search for her family member and the plot can move into action. In other words, anything other than "jewel shards" can be made a convenient plot device to get rid of the OC's family.

Well, that sounded more morbid than it should.

Even then, the OC should not be completely without a family, unless she is an orphan. What I mean by that is, it is okay to allow the OC relatives/clans that live in another village, someone she can fall back upon, you see friends/team members can never replace family. I know I am putting in a lot more thought than I should, considering it is fanfiction but relatives do come handy when certain situations occur and it is nice for the OC to know that she is not completely alone.

So unless your OC is a an orphan or belongs to a remote clan that has their own communities that were simultaneously attacked, it is good for her to have some relatives on the other side.

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**Relationships: **

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Naturally, a person from such turbulent times will have some trouble trusting those around them and relationships will take time to build.

Also, when the OC has lost her family and friends and is relatively a newcomer in "the gang" she will not immediately speak about her past or trust the gang members completely. It will take time for her to adjust and your writing should portray that awkwardness. Kind and friendly gang members **[Kagome/Rin] **can be quite overbearing at such times because they obviously feel bad for your OC and want her to feel better soon. However, depending on your OC's personality she may act aggressively/coldly/warily towards these characters. It may take up to two chapters for your OC to feel comfort with her team.

If your OC is a demon/half-demon she may prefer an alliance/connection with a demon/half-demon especially if she has lost her entire clan. It is not uncommon to find solace with someone who may belong to their own species, however if you wish, it is okay for them to have a relationship with a human. Just make sure to build this up practically and re-read what I have written about relationships while detailing the future OC.

Also, I have yet to see a relationship where the character (if she is a youkai) falls for a half demon despite the fact that she outwardly loathes him and vice versa **[this can even be done with humans who loathe hanyous and youkai]**. It would be interesting to see what facets the relationship would display when the character has immense hatred for a species yet falls in love with a person from the said species due to his personality, past or character traits.

Another nitpick that I have about relationships is that if you are building an OC as a canon relative. For example, Inuyasha's sister/brother Sesshoumaru's sister/brother, Koga's sister/brother.

If this is so there better be a believable story on how the relative came to be in the first place. As far as Inu's past goes, he was alone with his mother and if you suddenly put in a sibling into that everything changes. Perhaps you could manipulate the scenario to add another wife to InuTashio and then it could be made a believable story. However, even this would have to be before Izayoi, since InuTaisho died protecting his wife and child in the Third Movie. Thus your canon sibling could be older than Inuyasha.

There is not much of an input about Sessh's or Koga's past so perhaps it is easier to manipulate that. About Sango and Kohaku, they were pretty much the last surviving demon slayers so don't add anyone else to be the "last". Respect canon for what it is.

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_**++SOCIAL CLASS HIERARCHY++**_

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This part is solely to give information about the "class hierarchy" in the Feudal Era. This is what you will require the most while building a believable OC. If class hierarchy sounds too pompous, I am plainly going to tell you what different occupations your OC can have regardless of being youkai/human.

The class hierarchy in the Sengoku Period was as follows:

**First Class = Emperor|Royal Family|Priests of the Royal Family**

**Second Class = Shogunate|Daimyo|Samurai**

**Third Class = Peasants|Artisans|Merchants|Others like priests and priestesses, thieves, labourers, slaves**

So let us begin with the familiar ones.

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**Miko [Priestesses]: **

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Miko were Shinto women priests of Japan. In history, there were shrine mikos **[They stayed in the shrine, performed rites and dance to please the kami, and looked after the temple] **as well as traveling mikos **[They toured the countryside and performed exorcisms or doctored people]**. It was believed that they had spiritual powers and were healers.

In Inuyasha fandom, Mikos like Kagome and Kikyo are very high-level priestesses and this is chiefly why only Kikyo and Kagome can sense and purify an artifact as powerful as the Shikon no Tama.

They both have intense level of spiritual power that enables their sacred arrows to contain so much power that they instantly purify demons. So can you have your OC to be like them? Not really, because according to the canon **ONLY **Kikyo or Kagome have that power.

Remember that fanfiction is for you to blend your fantasy into the already established canon, so modifying the canon to fit your story is certainly not an option.

Therefore, here is what you should do if you still want your OC to be a miko:

**1\. Give her spiritual powers but not those of the level of Kikyo or Kagome. Perhaps OC is able to purify lesser demons only if she tries hard enough to concentrate. Or that she has the ability to erect very strong purifying barriers but not shoot sacred arrows or purify Shikon shards. **

**2\. Or perhaps, OC is able to purify the effects of Naraku's miasma and spiritually 'heal' people. **

**3\. Or perhaps she can exorcize evil spirits and demons and is a shaman that performs divination rituals. Perhaps she can go into trances and contact or speak with spirits. This is what the traditional and historical mikos were known for. **

**4\. Or at the very least, she is a master at making potions and medicines, can look after the sick and orphaned and gives service to warriors fallen in battle and can perform minor purification spells with help of ofudas. This category is helpful for OC's that are demon/half-demon but still want to be a miko. **

A longbow and arrows is a preferable weapon and she should be attired in the traditional red and white outfit, unless she is a dark priestess like Tsubaki or an apprentice.

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**Monks: **

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Monks were generally Buddhist monks of two types: **yamabushi and sohei. **

**Yamabushi **were ascetic monks that lived in the mountains. They practiced meditation for spiritual powers. Some of them were warriors too and they joined samurai armies during wars. Other times, they normally performed exorcisms and were healers not unlike mikos of that era.

**Sohei **were warrior monks who moved about in large groups and had formed brotherhood with many such monks of the same monastic order. They too waged wars along with samurais, went about on horses and wielded naginatas, clubs, bows and arrows. They wore the normal monk attire but wore armor over it. They weren't the type of monks who were on the hunt for spiritual powers but were deadly warriors.

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**Samurai:**

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Samurai, as we all know were fearsome warriors of the Feudal Era skilled in all types of warfare. They were extremely loyal to their masters **[daimyos]** and often their families committed mass suicide if they were attacked by the enemy camps, thus highlighting their pride and honour. They followed strict code of conduct of the Bushido. However, in the historical feudal period, samurai culture lessened, with even common citizens getting into the army.

Samurai women were often quite skilled in wielding weapons, and were especially trained in naginata-jutsu. They protected the castles of their daimyos and fought quite bravely during enemy attacks. Samurai was a much respected class during this period and were often held in high regard in the society and were bestowed with special privileges and favours.

Sometimes, samurai who did not commit suicide moved on without their masters and became **ronin [wanderers]**. These **ronin **then often allied with the enemy but they never did owe loyalty to anyone and were free in their own right. **Ronin **often became bodyguards to wealthy merchants, or became mercenaries, criminals and bandits and exerted their powers and skill to loot or terrify villagers.

As the Sengoku period progressed, the strict boundaries of the Samurai way loosened and as battles became more deadly and fierce, economy began to decline, and commoners joined the armies of the samurai. These were known as **ashigaru**. They became foot soldiers and supplied to the infantry.

If you want your OC to survive well in the Sengoku period it would be well enough to provide her with a militia background.

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**Ninja/Shinobi: **

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Ninja were highly trained mercenaries and spies of the Sengoku period. These ninja were used by daimyos for spying or surprise attacks on the enemy camps. Ninja's were often secretive and as opposed to samurai, whose rules and regulations compelled them to fight an open battle, ninjas were fit for espionage, arson or assassination of the enemy warlords. Thus, ninjas constantly dangled under a razors edge for the opposition was always ready to trap and kill them.

Ninjas had their own villages and territories, perhaps deep in the mountains where it was quite impossible for anyone to find them. They were expert in disguise, could pass themselves off as monks or peasants. Historical ninjas generally used the katana, the shuriken and the kusari-gama **[the sickle that Kohaku uses]** as a weapon due to its reach and flinging ease. They were skilled in ninjutsu training. Female ninjas also existed and were known as kunoichi.

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**Daimyo:**

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Daimyo were warlords or feudal lords. They owned large portions of land and hired samurais/ninjas to protect and guard their territories. Daimyo's were often at war with each other for generations to attack and conquer each other territories.

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**Shogun: **

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Shoguns were "military commanders" or "generals" of the Imperial court fully known as sei-taishoguns. Sesshoumaru is a Shogun for his father Inutaisho was a general of the demon race. They were quite literally the de facto rulers of Japan. They appointed daimyos to look after their vast lands and were answerable only to the Imperial family. If you want your OC to be a shogun or a daimyo do research on court and nobility of feudal era to get a glimpse of their lifestyle.

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**Commoners: **

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Peasants, craftsmen, merchants, slaves, butchers, executioners along with monks, priests and priestesses, healers and oiran **[courtesans]** made up the common folk of Japan's history.

If you want your OC to be a peasant, making her a healer who grows medicinal herbs would be a good idea, if you do want her to get involved in the plot at all.

Artisans included swordsmiths, carpenters, potters, weavers and the like while merchants were quite wealthy but were often looted by bandits or ronin for money.

Oiran were held in high esteem by the daimyo and shoguns but they had no freedom and lived a secluded lifestyle.

So over all your Feudal Era OC can have a vast array of jobs and social status and it is upto you to decide what you want to choose. Just make sure to do your research on that time period, the customs and culture, the history and lifestyle of that era so that your OC doesn't stand out like an oddball and make sure that you have the correct facts.

**Hope this extensive guide did help you in some way! **

**If you have any further requests for other topics you would like me to cover on this subject please do PM me! **

**If you liked this guide, do drop in a review! ^_^ **


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